This invention relates to a twist-off closure cap for bottles such as beverage or liquor bottles and more particularly to a molded unitary plastic closure cap for bottles having an integral tamper indicating means. More particularly, the application relates to a molded closure bottle cap having a tamper indicating band which is applied with the cap during the normal bottle sealing operation and which prevents the removal of the cap without a clear indication of an attempt to remove the cap.
There are a number of well-known bottle caps which are being used for sealing beverage bottles. These known closure caps have tamper indicating means which provide an indication that an attempt has been made to turn the caps off of the sealed bottles. One particularly well known cap of this general type is an aluminum cap which has a sealing portion and a detachable tamper indicating ring. The application of the tamper indicating ring requires a separate shaping operation during cap application to shape the tamper indicating ring around a bead on the bottle finish.
The closure cap of the present invention provides an inexpensive unitary molded plastic cap which provides the tamper indicating functions of the above described metal cap. It includes a sealing cap portion and a tamper indicating band or ring. The cap is applied by means of high speed automatic bottle sealing machinery in a sealing operation which both seals the bottle with the sealing cap and which simultaneously applies the tamper indicating band without reshaping operations.
The band is applied so that it is locked onto the bottle finish and so that any attempt to turn off the sealing portion of the cap is clearly indicated by a severing of the band from the cap sealing portion.
A unique property of the tamper indicating band portion of the cap is an increased bottle retention grip of the tamper indicating ring onto the bottle finish as the cap removal force is increased. This feature of the cap provides for a positive tamper indication regardless of the efforts which may be made during an unauthorized removal of the bottle closure cap to remove the cap without severing the indicating band.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary molded plastic tamper indicating closure cap.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a unitary molded plastic tamperproof closure cap where the tamper indicating band retention force is increased during cap removal.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary molded linerless tamperproof beverage cap.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved screw-on and twist-off beverage cap with tamper indicating means.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a unitary molded tamper indicating closure cap with an improved tamper indicating band.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved unitary plastic tamperproof beverage cap which may be applied using existing bottle sealing machinery.
Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent upon an understanding of the illustrative embodiments about to be described or will be indicated in the appended claims, and various advantages not referred to herein will occur to one skilled in the art upon employment of the invention in practice.